Fewer Unaccompanied Minors Caught Illegally Entering U.S. Compared To Last Year, So Far

More than 18,900 unaccompanied minors were apprehended illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in the first seven months of this fiscal year, according to new data from Customs and Border Protection.

That number represents a drop from the first seven months of fiscal year 2014, which saw 38,280 unaccompanied minors — largely from Central America — apprehended illegally entering the U.S..

The number of family unit apprehensions for the first seven months of this fiscal year compared to the same timeframe last year is also down — with 16,997 apprehensions as the southern border compared to 26,341 family unit apprehensions in the same timeframe last fiscal year.

The decline comes following last year’s massive influx of illegal immigrant family units and unaccompanied minors, which strained government resources and saw more than 53,518 illegal immigrant minors released back into the U.S. with sponsors.

A report in the Washington Times reveals that this year to date, about 14,000 illegal immigrant minors have been placed with sponsored in the U.S.

The decline follows an effort by the Obama administration to dissuade Central Americans from making the dangerous journey northward as well as looking for whats to stem the causes of the migration north. Mexico has also stepped up its efforts at its southern border to stop the northern migration.